Misfit Rangers After the director of football of Cruzeiro, a Brazilian club, was questioned about the club’s plans for several loan players, Jose Cifuentes may decide to make his temporary move permanent in the summer.
The midfielder from Ecuador, who only signed a £1.2 million contract to join the Light Blues from MLS team Los Angeles FC last summer, was hailed as a player who could lead the team to “the next level” during Michael Beale’s disastrous roster makeover.
However, the 24-year-old struggled to adapt to Scottish football and his appearances became more limited following Philippe Clement’s arrival back in November. He was eventually shipped out on loan, returning to South America just four months into his four-year contract at Rangers.
Brazilian outfit Cruzeiro have an option-to-buy inserted in to the deal after his year-long loan switch and club official Pedro Martins has addressed the future of several loanees including Cifuentes, who will continue to be evaluated before a decision is made
He told Notaque: “Negotiating is part of the game, and so we are evaluating all cases, as well as João Marcelo, we are very happy with his progress. It is a decision that will take place in the middle of the year and the club is preparing itself so that if it is necessary to execute the purchase options, we can structure ourselves so that we do not break the club. I believe that of the players who came on loan, the vast majority will want to stay and that counts a lot in negotiations.
“Our objective in these types of loans is to be able to evaluate the athlete’s performance here, and it is also a tool for those who do not have the capacity for immediate investment.
“Given the club’s budget limitations, we prefer to bring the player on loan, see if he will adapt to our routine and way of acting, and when making this acquisition, we can sit down with the club and player and build in the best possible way.”
